Star Laws
by Roque Amadi
Summary: AU Obi/OC. Yoda is missing and the Jedi Order is starting to fracture. Obi-Wan finds himself on the wrong side of the remaining Council, and the only person willing to help him turns out to be the Temple's own in-house counsel. **Edited**
1. Chapter 1

***Now edited, thanks to SerendipityAEY - check out her work for some awesome Obimance.

About this fic: Part-way through season 4 of Clone Wars, I'm surprised Obi-Wan wants to bother continuing with the war - every mission he's on seems to end up in disaster or serious injury. So here's my AU, taking off after episode 13 and the mission where he got beaten to a pulp numerous times, enslaved, humiliated, and (of course) almost killed.

Incoming in future chapters is Obi/OC, action-adventure, politics and Jedi lawyers :)

* * *

He woke, and he was still exhausted.

Obi-Wan sat up stiffly and looked around the room - he was in the Halls of Healing, back at the Temple on Coruscant for the first time in many months. Usually when he woke up here, he would feel better and be impatient to receive his next mission. But this time, he didn't feel better - he just felt exhausted.

Within seconds, a med droid and an assistant healer descended on him. The assistant, from the Medical Corp, pulled Obi-Wan's eyelid back and shone a light into it without explanation, while the droid ripped off the sections of tape on his arm and pulled out a drip.

"How long have I been here?" Obi-Wan asked, his voice scratchy. The assistant scribbled on his clipboard for a few seconds before glancing up at Obi-Wan as though only just noticing him.

"Not my department. Sign outs only."

Obi-Wan nodded, swinging his legs off the bed. The movement made him groan and put a hand on his ribs. "It still feels…"

"Yeah… They'll heal up soon. We need to free up the bed," the healer replied. "Sorry," he added as an afterthought.

"Right."

Obi-Wan stood carefully, his bare feet touching the cold floor. There was a plastic bag hanging from a hook beside his bed, containing all his clothes - with a sigh, he noticed they hadn't been cleaned. Carefully, he pulled on the ripped pants and smelly, stained undertunic, wincing when he had to bend over or lift his arm. The droid was already re-dressing the bed he'd been in, and shoved Obi-Wan aside as it whizzed past.

He carried his plastic bag to the front of the facility and signed his name off the list, then stepped out into the cavernous Temple hallway.

First stop was his quarters. He needed clean clothes. The turbolift took him up, and when he stepped inside the room which was now only semi-familiar, he dropped his bag and collapsed onto the bed, groaning at the impact to his ribs. He ran through the list of things he needed to do, while he lay there: find clean clothes, get his old gear repaired, service his lightsaber, eat - definitely need to eat - and deliver that datachip he could feel digging into his leg. One of the Jedi on the transfer vessel had passed it to him when he heard Obi-Wan was returning to the Temple for rehab - he could barely remember who it was, or what the message contained. He had been only semi-conscious, and had just shoved it in the pocket of his pants.

Okay, time to move - he needed to get all these things done before the imminent Council summons with his next mission. The thought made him more depressed than he could ever recall feeling, and he pulled the pillow under his head. In five minutes, he'd get up. He just needed to rest - just for a moment.

The next time he woke, it was dark. He rolled out of bed in panic and searched through his plastic bag until he found his belt, but to his relief, there were no calls to his comlink. The Council summons hadn't arrived yet, then. He stood up and flicked on the lights. His stomach was growling and it seemed to make his ribs hurt even more. He located some fresh clothes, and as he tugged his pants off he felt the little datachip in his pocket. He pulled it out and plugged it into his data terminal, stepping into the fresher while it booted up after long disuse.

He had to spend a few minutes peeling off tape and gauze patches before he could wash - they never seemed to end. It was evident the healers hadn't thought his injuries were bacta-tank-worthy, but he supposed there were plenty of others who needed the tanks worse than him.

When he stepped out, his terminal had loaded the document contained in the datachip. He sat down to read it while he struggled with his boots.

_Please deliver to: Legal Dept, level 3 south Jedi Temple_

_Attn: Skylin Shaw_

_PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL_

The following data was coded with a simple Jedi sequence, but he wasn't interested in prying into other people's business. He pocketed the chip and made his way down to level 3. In the hallway, he passed Mace Windu coming out of a side room.

"Kenobi! Good to see you up and about. Especially at this hour! I take it you're much recovered?"

"I - thank you, Master Windu," Obi-Wan hesitated. "Er - what _is_ the time? I suppose I'm jetlagged."

"Just past 23 hundred. I should congratulate you on your success on Kadavo - a very complex mission."

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan replied, feeling tireder by the second.

"I expect the Council will summon you in the morning to hear your report. Get some rest!"

Windu strode down the hall and Obi-Wan refrained from making a rude gesture at his back. It was easy for him to be so bright and energetic, holed up cosily here in the Temple ninety per cent of the time.

He continued down the hall to the south wing and searched for the _'Legal Dept'_ the message had described. He had actually never heard of it before. He passed a narrow hallway and saw an open door down the end, where a light was on. The closer he came to the doorway, the more litter lined the walls - boxes of flimsy files and datachips, piles of archive records, and immediately outside the door, four dense filing cabinets. One was labelled 'Traffic Offences'.

"Excuse me?" He knocked on the door as he stepped into an extremely messy office. It was roughly divided into four sections, with a large desk in each corner, and shelves lining the walls. The files on the shelves seemed to be in the midst of an invasion on the rest of the office, their ranks gradually making their way across the desks and floor into the centre. "Anyone here?" he called.

"Opening hours are over; come back in the morning," a voice emerged from the debris.

"Er -" Obi-Wan looked to his right, trying to see the being the voice came from. "I'm sorry, but I'm not likely to be planetside in the morning - I just need to deliver a message."

He received a groan in response. Following the sound, he stepped around an immense stack of folders on a desk until he finally located its source - a young human female, who was sitting with her knees drawn up and her face reflecting the blue light of her datapad.

"Hello there."

She slumped in disappointment. "I was hoping you wouldn't find me." She had untidy blonde hair and fair skin, and a slightly narrow face.

"Well, as a Jedi Master, my skills of detection _are_ very impressive." The woman laughed, and he continued. "Would you happen to be Skylin Shaw?"

"I guess I would."

"Then I have a message for you." He dug the chip out of his pocket and passed it to her. She took it reluctantly.

"Who's it from?"

"Honestly, I can't remember."

With a somewhat pained expression, Skylin plugged the chip into her datapad and decrypted it quickly. Her eyes scanned the text for only a few seconds before she groaned loudly and pushed her chair back, grabbing a few used caf cups and stalking across to the garbage receptacle. She wore brown robes over her slight frame. "Big surprise - another WFC request for Skylin, the champion of tired Jedi. I'll just add that to my to-do list, shall I?" she indicated the pillar of files she had been hiding behind.

Obi-Wan was confused. "Pardon me - WFC?"

"Yeah." She squinted at him. "Have we met?"

"I don't believe so." He bowed. "Obi-Wan Kenobi. Pleased to meet you."

"Oh - you're on the Council?" she looked suddenly cowed. "I, uh - do you want me to disregard this request?"

Obi-Wan smiled hesitantly. "I don't even know what the request is."

"It's - " she glanced back at the screen, and he saw her eyes move over a section of text at the bottom. She relaxed. "Oh, I see now - sorry. I thought you were Windu loop."

Obi-Wan was baffled. "What's a Windu loop?"

The girl chuckled, and beckoned him around behind her desk. She sat back down and tilted the screen of her datapad so he could read the decoded message over her shoulder.

_Dear Skylin,_

_I've heard of the work you've been doing for some of the Jedi I work with, and would like to request you take up my case as well. I have not returned to the Temple at all since the beginning of the wars, and I haven't received adequate treatment of a back injury which I received over a year ago in service, and I believe it is getting worse. I have also been having trouble sleeping for the last six months, for unrelated reasons. The Council has been unreceptive whenever I have requested a rotation off service, and I have requested it at least three times. If it is possible for you to take on my case, you should be able to contact me via the 42nd fleet for the next few weeks at least._

_I am sending this message with Obi-Wan Kenobi, because I believe he will not report me if he reads this. I think we may be able to trust him, though he probably doesn't know it yet._

_Thank you for helping us, Skylin - it means more than you will ever know._

She looked up at him when she sensed he had finished reading.

"…I don't understand. Why would I report this Jedi? He hasn't done anything wrong."

Skylin let out a breath. "I was hoping you'd say that." She spun her chair around to face him. "WFC means withdraw-from-combat. These files are all requests like this one, Jedi asking me to take their case to the Council."

Obi-Wan frowned. "But I've never heard of it."

"That's because they introduced a new code that requires all these types of matters to be heard by only two Council members currently at the Temple. Apparently it's to save Council time."

"But this is quite a serious matter," Obi-Wan gestured at the files. "Do your claims usually succeed?"

Skylin shrugged. "Once or twice. The Council's generally not interested in hearing their soldiers are tired." Suddenly her face fell. "You're not going to tell them I said all this, are you?"

"Well - why not? I would like to know why I haven't heard about it, if there are as many claims as you say."

"Because it's supposed to be kept quiet," she grimaced. "They don't want other Jedi knowing withdrawal is even an option - otherwise everyone would probably be doing it."

Obi-Wan frowned uneasily. "I see. Who is it that usually hears your cases?"

"Master Windu and Master Kolar." She scowled. "They're getting sick of me, though. I'm worried soon they'll refuse to hear my requests altogether, and then what'll I do with all these? They're counting on me to at least try."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Thank you for informing me of this situation. As I said, I expect I'll be dispatched in the morning, but I will attempt to raise this issue with the Council as soon as I can." Although his words were professional, his face betrayed his misery at the thought of another mission. Skylin looked up at him shrewdly for a moment before jumping to her feet.

"Here," she said, toeing the chair towards him. "Sit. I'll make you some tea."

He hesitated. "You're clearly very busy, I don't want to take up your time..."

Instead of replying, she grasped his arms and maneuvered him into the chair. "Relax," she instructed. "You look exhausted."

Obi-Wan struggled to respond. They were the first genuinely kind words he'd received since he'd returned home, and it made him feel slightly emotional. He watched as Skylin picked her way across the room to close the door, then back to a barely visible bench along one wall with a water dispenser and kettle. Finally, he said, "You know, I was not aware we even had a legal department."

Skylin grinned. "Well, 'course we do that on purpose, so no one ever notices how many speeding fines the Temple gets."


	2. Chapter 2

"Let's move it, Kenobi. Your cruiser is ready to go."

"I'm not getting on the cruiser."

"You are refusing your orders?"

"I am."

The burly security chief sighed, as though this was nothing new. Obi-Wan looked up at the man from where he sat on a flat rock in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. He'd been meditating for the last few hours - deliberately through the time the Council had assigned for him to pack up and ship out to his next assignment.

"You'll get on the cruiser, or you'll go before the Council."

It was a decision he'd made hours ago. Overnight, he hadn't been able to sleep. He'd tried, but all the drugs had worn off and he kept waking from dreams full of blood. The Force was telling him something - but he still didn't know what. He was only certain of one thing: he wasn't going back to another battlefield.

He got to his feet, and stretched carefully, his ribs twinging. "The Council it is, then."

He'd already been to the Council chambers once today, to deliver his report on the Kadavo mission. There were only two other Council members here at the moment: Windu and Kolar. He'd enquired after Master Yoda, only to be told he was unreachable on a mission into deep space, and would be out of contact for a few weeks at the least.

So it was Windu and Kolar he presented to now. The ache returned to his ribs as he stood in the centre of the room, the security chief explaining briefly what had happened.

Windu turned to him, his expression neutral. "What is the explanation for this, Obi-Wan?"

"With respect, Master Windu," Obi-Wan begun. "I must report that I am not looking to return to the field immediately. Recently I've been feeling… very tired. I fear I will not be able to work efficiently until I have had some more time to recuperate."

There was a long silence in the room. Windu steepled his fingers. "Well, it may be possible to delay for a day or two," he said carefully.

"I believe I will need more time than that."

Kolar spoke up, making an effort at restraint. "Master Kenobi, you must understand - you are an extremely valuable asset in this war. You are needed - people are dying out there every day-"

"I am well aware of that," Obi-Wan cut in sharply. "However, I would like to remain at the Temple until Master Yoda returns."

Another long silence. Obi-Wan watched the glance that was exchanged between his two peers. Somewhere inside, a part of him was concerned about the ramifications of his refusal, but it was tiny in contrast to the part of him that just wanted to sleep.

Finally, Windu spoke. "Kenobi, we can't allow that."

"Then we have reached an impasse," he replied mildly. He didn't expect the reaction that followed.

Windu got to his feet and strode forward until Obi-Wan conceded a step backwards. "Do you have any idea of the seriousness of this course you plan to follow?" he growled, furious. "Let me make it clearer for you. You have blatantly refused to follow the directions of this Council, an action that makes it impossible for you to continue to sit on it. You have disregarded the sacrifices made by fellow members of your order, which makes you unsuited to retain the title of Master. Do I make myself clear?"

Obi-Wan met his eyes fiercely, but his heart sunk. "You do."

Windu stepped back and started pacing. "They Jedi exist to serve the Republic, Kenobi. I thought you understood that. Our individual sacrifices are not important - the thing that's most important is the lives we protect! Have you forgotten this?" He didn't bother waiting for an answer. "The outcome of the war rests on a knife's edge, and you choose to abandon us!" Obi-Wan saw rage bloom in his eyes, but in an instant it was back under control. "I hope you will soon realise your mistake. Until then, go - get your cursed rest."

Obi-Wan left immediately. He returned to his room, deeply concerned. He understood the need to support the Republic, and he knew Mace Windu wasn't a soft man, but he had never seen that flash of rage in him before. Perhaps something had happened to change him, or perhaps it had always been just below the surface. Either way, he wished Yoda would hurry his return.

The next morning, he lined up for breakfast in the dining hall, and when he reached the serving window, the apprentice behind the counter slopped the porridge into his tray so aggressively that it splashed all over his tunic.

"Oh. Sorry," the boy drawled, smirking. Obi-Wan was speechless. Gathering himself, he wiped off the worst splotches with his sleeve, and carried his meal to a table. As soon as he sat down, the five other Jedi already there immediately got up to leave. None of them were finished.

He bent over his tray and ate quickly, unsure what was happening. He was tired - he hadn't slept well again - and his connection to the Force felt hazy and blurred, but he could feel something sinister swirling around him.

When he got up to leave, he passed a clan of younglings following behind their teacher in an orderly line. One of them spotted him, and pointed, yelling out, "Look! It's Obi-Wan Kenobi!" and the rest of them started jeering and pulling faces. He hurried out of the dining hall and back to his room. He felt like he was thirteen again, a failed apprentice on his way to the AgriCorp, despised and pitied by all the younger students. He may no longer be a Master and Council member, but he was still a Knight, and he'd never experienced disrespect within the Temple itself like this before.

The following weeks yielded no change. He spent the maximum amount of time possible locked in his room, and slept as much as he could. He only went out to complete the occasional menial task he was assigned, and to get food - though he never ate in the dining hall anymore. He was treated with disgust by the healers when he visited the Healing Halls for painkillers. One particular group of older students enjoyed following him around whenever they could, watching him and laughing amongst themselves.

He started leaving the Temple for long periods to walk around the district, or to visit cafes and bars. He encountered occasional derision outside as well - he wasn't sure exactly who was behind it, but once a speeder veered off the lane to knock him to the ground, and a few times someone would run up just to push him over and then disappear. He didn't bother chasing them.

One night, he decided to test his resilience against two standard drinks instead of his usual one - resistance to alcohol was something he'd never valued much before. He was sitting at the bar, sipping his second drink quietly, when he noticed a commotion over in the back corner. A woman was struggling against a tall man who was pushing her back against the wall. She tried to duck under his arm to escape, but he grabbed her and threw her down roughly. Obi-Wan heard her cry out, and got to his feet. The man was raising his arm to strike, when Obi-Wan stepped up behind him and grabbed his wrist.

"That's enough," he said.

The man turned, a smirk on his face. "Oh, a Jedi - what a surprise. Sorry, but this woman's mine, and you're not going to stop me."

He pushed Obi-Wan away roughly and grabbed the woman's wrist.

"Please stop him - please," she pleaded to Obi-Wan, and he didn't need to hear anymore. He struck the man in the arm, forcing him to release the woman, and blocked the counter-punch. He twisted the man's shoulder around and forced him to the ground. The man struggled but couldn't move.

"Now, I suggest you leave her alone, and get out of here."

"Alright, alright!"

Obi-Wan released him, and the man got to his feet, stumbling quickly out of the bar. He turned back to the woman, who sat against the wall, rubbing her wrists. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," she sniffed. He looked back around to the entrance as three uniformed CSF guards strode in.

"Look, the Security Force are here - you can - _oof_!" Without warning, the woman kicked him solidly between the legs, and started screaming.

"Argh - get off me!" she yelled. "Help! Help! Over here!"

It took only three seconds for the guards to grab his arms, confiscate his lightsaber, and bind his wrists. Obi-Wan still hadn't grasped what was happening.

"He was trying to assault me!" the woman accused, getting to her feet. "You arrived just in time!"

"What? I wasn't - ouch!"

One of the guards had jabbed his neck with a blood-sampling device, and now he was taking a reading.

"This one's intoxicated."

"Jedi. Possibly violent."

"Give him the downer."

Obi-Wan didn't have any time to wonder what a 'downer' was. He felt another jab in his neck, and almost immediately a soporific haze descended over him. He slumped against the vice grip the guards had on his arms.

His senses all felt deadened by a heavy mist, and he heard, as though from a great distance, "Back to the station, boys."

oooooooooooooooo

He could hear raised voices. They were somewhere nearby, or perhaps they were far away, he couldn't tell. He was cold. He phased out.

When he came back, the darkness had gone, replaced by a bright light. He tried to force his eyes to focus… and he saw a face, with hair like sunlight, kindness in her expression and the gentle voice she spoke in.

"…Kenobi? Master Kenobi. Can you hear me?"

He started to phase out again, then he felt another jab in his neck, and finally, the haze started to lift. He was cold. His chest hurt. His head was aching. But then he felt something warm and soothing on his forehead, gentle touches through his hair, and that kind voice.

He opened his eyes, and finally found that they worked. "Skylin," he said roughly, when he recognised the young woman who had made him tea on his first day back. She smiled, the brightest, kindest smile, and it was just for him, and in that moment he thought she was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen. Her hand was resting against his forehead, and she had a medical scanner in her other hand.

"Hey," she said gently. "How do you feel? They gave you the highest dose, it's not really meant for humans."

"What isn't?" he ground out.

"Just a tranquiliser. It's supposed to be for violent prisoners. Do you think you can sit up?"

He hadn't even realised he was lying on the floor. Skylin helped him to his feet gently, her arm around his shoulders close and warm while the world spun in circles for a few moments. When he managed to centre himself, he asked, "What are you doing here?"

She was walking him out of the cell and towards the lift at the end of the corridor.

"I'm bailing you out, of course," she said with a restrained grin, "You great delinquent, you."

ooooooooooooooooo

They walked slowly across the Temple District, the air helping to clear Obi-Wan's head, back towards the big building looming in the darkness.

"I believe I was set up," he explained. "But I don't understand how - the CSF have never questioned a Jedi's word before, not in my experience. The woman only had to claim I assaulted her, and they believed her without question. I didn't know they were even _allowed_ to arrest Jedi."

Skylin sighed. "You can't say I didn't warn you. You go against Windu, this is what happens. Trust me; you're not the only one."

"I'm not?"

"Don't you remember that stack of files on my desk?"

"I thought those were all Jedi currently in the field."

"A lot of them are, but there's also a lot being persecuted here on Coruscant. They don't let you know about each other so you feel like you really are a traitor - it works on some. I didn't even know you were still here, until I got that lovely invitation down to Temple District CSF."

"I apologise for disturbing you at this hour."

"That's alright." Skylin shoved her hands in her robe pockets and looked over at him thoughtfully. "It's gotten worse, this last month. Since Yoda went away. The way they treat Jedi like you, I mean."

"Yes; I can't say I haven't noticed," Obi-Wan replied wryly, running a hand over his beard.

"They want you to feel like everyone is against you. It's not everyone, but they make sure it's enough that it feels like everyone. I don't even know who's organising it. People just get so caught up in this damn war, and the 'support the Republic' argument. I'm so sick of this bloody Republic I don't even know where to start."

"But the Jedi exist to-"

"Yeah, yeah, serve the Republic, I know. And I _do_ believe in the Republic; at least, the way it was before Palpatine started messing with the Constitution. The fact is, his rule is not legal, and it's not what the Republic is supposed to be. And neither is this war."

Obi-Wan bowed his head. He understood what she was saying, but… "But if we don't fight, the Separatists would succeed-"

"That's the point, Kenobi - who cares if they succeed? They want to separate from the Republic? Fine! I don't remember learning the part about a democracy that forces people to join it when they don't want to."

Obi-Wan grimaced. "I can see your point. But you have to understand - Count Dooku is evil. My last mission involved him capturing an entire colony of peaceful beings to use as slaves. Don't you think it's worth fighting to stop that?"

Skylin shook her head. "Why do you think they want slaves? To man the factories that produce the droids they rely on to fight! If there was no fighting, would they need to produce so many droids? Scratch that - even if there was fighting, but there weren't any _Jedi_ in the mix? The Jedi just make everything ten times worse than it already would be. If someone believes in what they're fighting for, do you think extra force is going to make them give up? What it's going to do is make them respond with equal force - any way they can acquire it!" She didn't give Obi-Wan a chance to reply. "And honestly, do you really, truly believe Dooku is the mastermind behind all this? I sure don't buy that."

They had reached the Temple, and they both instinctively halted the course of their conversation as they climbed the steps, the huge statues gazing down on them coldly.

"You'll have to be in Court tomorrow," Skylin said as they scanned in at the entrance.

Obi-Wan paled. "Oh. I hadn't expected that."

"It's alright - I'll represent you. You just have to look respectable. I know that will probably be difficult for you," she grinned slyly.

"Oh, no doubt. However, if you request it, I shall make an effort." He smiled charmingly.

"Alright - I'll see you tomorrow then, Master Kenobi."

Obi-Wan's smile faded. "Please - just Obi-Wan. I'm not a Master anymore."


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Obi-Wan woke to a familiarly insistent bashing on his door. He climbed out of bed and answered it with a smile.

"Anakin."

"Obi-Wan!" His former apprentice barged past him into the room and closed the door before gripping Obi-Wan's arms tightly. "Are you okay? How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," Obi-Wan replied, shrugging him off. "I did have some broken ribs, but they've improved, and-"

"Don't be stupid. You're not fine; you've had a meltdown. Mace told me all about it."

Obi-Wan's face fell. For a moment he thought Anakin was here of his own free will. "Did he," he stated flatly.

"Yes. But it's okay now, my friend. I've organised it so that you can come with me on my next assignment. We're leaving tonight!"

"Anakin, I won't be leaving the Temple. Not for a while."

Anakin gripped his shoulder affectionately. "You don't have to worry - I'll be with you the whole time! And Ahsoka too. It'll be fun!"

Obi-Wan turned away. "You have been told one side of a story that has many faces. Something is happening here at the Temple - something unhealthy. Master Yoda is gone, and I am having concerns about Master Windu's leadership. Did he seem altered to you?"

Anakin looked uneasy. "What's happening at the Temple? And no, he seemed just the same to me. In fact, I have some news - since you took your temporary leave from the Council, I've been asked to act in your place temporarily. Isn't that great?"

Obi-Wan frowned. "Temporary leave? I was under the impression I'd been fired permanently."

"Of course not! They could never do that to you. It's just because of-" Anakin lowered his voice. "You know - your condition."

Obi-Wan ran his hands through his hair in irritation. "Anakin, I do not have a-"

"I have to show you something," Anakin interrupted, sitting down at Obi-Wan's data terminal and accessed the HoloNet. "I know you never follow the public opinion, but I think this is something you should see."

Obi-Wan's eyes fell on the headline of the news article Anakin had accessed: '_Downfall of The Negotiator: Obi-Wan Kenobi's career ends prematurely amidst claims of deceit and scandal_.'

Obi-Wan stepped back. "I really couldn't care less what the-"

The door suddenly opened again and Ahsoka flew into the room. "Master Obi-Wan! I was so worried about you when I heard what happened!" she knocked him back a step with a fierce hug. "Are you feeling better? Anakin and I got this for you!"

Obi-Wan took the brightly wrapped present that was thrust in his face.

"Oh - thank you. But really, I haven't-"

"I can't _wait_ for our next mission - the three of us make the most awesome team!" She seized Obi-Wan's free hand and stroked it gently. "You don't have to worry - we'll be there with you the whole time. Day and… _night_ as well." She looked up at him solicitously and Obi-Wan, mortified, struggled to extricate his hand from her grip.

Anakin laughed. "Alright Snips, don't swamp him. We'll catch up with you later, Obi-Wan. Make sure your gear is ready to go."

They turned to leave, and Obi-Wan stopped himself from dragging his contaminated hands down his face. Even if he had wanted to go with them - and the fresh reminder of Ahsoka's particular _attitude_ towards him made that a definite negative - he couldn't. The Force was telling him he needed to stay on Coruscant, even if it did result in the utter destruction of his good reputation. He glanced again on the article, which was mostly prompted by his court date this afternoon, before closing it with distaste.

Looking down, he noticed the package he still held in his hand. Apprehensively, he pulled the wrapping paper off, and revealed something soft and fluffy… he turned it over in trepidation, and revealed a soft toy clutching a big pink heart inscribed with a single word: 'LOVE'.

* * *

"My name is Skylin Shaw; I'll be representing Obi-Wan Kenobi today. My client will be pleading guilty, your Honor."

Obi-Wan leaned forward from where he sat behind Skylin and whispered to her, "Guilty? But I-"

"Kenobi, zip it."

There was a rapid exchange between the uniformed CSF prosecutor, the magistrate, and Skylin. He barely followed it - he was mostly concerned by the small group of beings squashed into the press gallery - as many as could fit - and also the two men who stood at the back of the room. Obi-Wan glanced over his shoulder. Mace Windu and Chancellor Palpatine stood near the door. While he watched, Windu leaned in to whisper something to the politician, who nodded seriously. Obi-Wan frowned. Since when had they been on such friendly terms?

He turned back around when there was finally a pause and the magistrate raised his eyebrows at Obi-Wan's advocate, whose back was to him.

"Your honour, no doubt you've heard of Obi-Wan Kenobi," she begun. "A hero of the battlefield, a model Jedi, the champion of many, many non-combatants. Until now, he has a completely clear record and an honourable reputation. However, the last few weeks have been somewhat different."

She proceeded to convey the most pitiful sob-story Obi-Wan had ever heard. The way she told it, he was tortured, enslaved, worked to death, and beaten to within an inch of his life on a regular basis. At the end of it, even he was surprised he was still capable of functioning on a basic level. She passed up various reports about his good character, his treatment, and how useful he'd been since returning to the Temple.

Finally, she concluded: "Last night, his condition led him to form a misunderstanding and he is deeply remorseful of his actions. I respect the need for a conviction to be recorded in the interests of public policy, therefore I submit that a good behaviour bond would be a suitable penalty, to enforce in my client and in the public that these actions will not be tolerated."

Good behaviour bond - that didn't sound so bad. Skylin sat down, and there was another brief exchange between the magistrate and the prosecutor, then the magistrate spoke to him directly. "Jedi Kenobi, stand up please."

Obi-Wan got to his feet.

"I accept these submissions about your situation, and I'm quite sorry to hear of it. I will follow the advice of your advocate and impose a good behaviour bond. That means you must avoid any more trouble, or you will be coming straight back here. I don't expect that to happen - am I clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Very well."

Skylin nodded to the magistrate and gathered up her notes as the court moved on to the next case. She turned to Obi-Wan and nodded to the door. "Let's go."

Obi-Wan passed Windu and Palpatine as he left, and nodded at them. They didn't look happy. He would have stopped to speak to them, an automatic impulse, but Skylin steered him out of the building quickly, mentioning something about avoiding the press. Outside, under the setting sun, Obi-Wan took a breath of fresh air.

"Thank you," he said to Skylin earnestly, as they made their way across the plaza. "Is there anything I'm required to do, while on this good behaviour bond?"

Skylin raised an eyebrow. "Well, unfortunately, you'll be restricted to the planet for the next two months. No space travel for you." She smiled at his stunned expression. "You might want to give Skywalker a call."

Obi-Wan did as she said. Earlier, on the way to the Courts, he'd mentioned the situation with Anakin to her. At the time, she had seemed distracted, tapping at her datapad. He made the call; Anakin was not happy with the result. Obi-Wan followed Skylin's prompts about the magistrate being in a foul mood. When he ended the call, he paused to shake her hand, and grasped it in both of his. "Thankyou," he said sincerely. "You've saved me from… well, from a very difficult situation."

She clapped him on the arm. "No problem. Come on, I'm starved - let's go get some food."


	4. Chapter 4

Skylin led Obi-Wan to a diner he was unfamiliar with and they had a moderately satisfying meal. Obi-Wan enquired about her training as a Jedi Lawyer under Master Cay, and they had a comfortable conversation until Skylin checked the time and suddenly looked awkward.

"Um – Obi-Wan, I'm sorry about this, but I've kind of organised for some… people to meet us. It's… Well, you'll see."

Confused, Obi-Wan looked up as a being approached their table. It was a Rodian Jedi who Obi-Wan vaguely recognised.

"Master Kenobi," he said, bowing sincerely. "Thankyou for agreeing to meet us."

Skylin looked rather uncomfortable as a small group of Jedi materialised from the diner crowd and squeezed into the booth with them. Obi-Wan knew none of them well, but was pleased when they greeted him respectfully.

The male Rodian - his name was Krut - was the leader of the group. "We're so glad you made the decision to withdraw from combat. It has sent a resounding message across the galaxy, to see someone of your status withdrawing. It makes others question the validity of the war as well."

Obi-Wan was troubled. "Truthfully, I hadn't any idea what to expect from my refusal. I didn't intend to make any sort of statement. And it's not that I disagree with the war entirely - mostly, I was just tired of seeing death."

Skylin had understanding in her eyes, but the others all took his statement the wrong way. "Yes, you agree with us then - war is wrong. We should not be fighting."

"I-"

But the Rodian had launched into a long speech about the Jedi Code and how war was fundamentally against it. It was fifteen minutes later when Skylin caught his eye, and then spoke up.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we have to leave now. Obi-Wan is required back at the Temple. Thankyou for meeting us."

They escaped quickly.

Outside, Skylin grinned hesitantly across at him. "Sorry about that."

"No – it's alright," he said. "I'm just not certain I agree with their opinions. I'm not a pacifist."

"I thought you'd say that." Skylin shrugged. "They asked me to organise it, and I didn't want to prejudice your impression. I thought you'd be interested, anyway."

Obi-Wan smiled. "Why are you doing this?" he asked earnestly.

"Doing what?" Skylin replied, taken aback.

"Being… kind to me. I was under the impression there was a rule against it."

She shrugged. "I guess there is."

"Then why? I don't want you to put yourself at risk for my benefit."

"I can handle myself," Skylin replied dismissively. "If they decide they want to try telling me who I can be friends with, they can kiss their legal department goodbye - I'm the only one planetside for a long time."

Obi-Wan wasn't entirely happy with her answer - if the Council really wanted her to fall in line, he knew they wouldn't hesitate. "Perhaps," he allowed. "But please be careful. Something is happening at the Temple… did you notice Master Windu and Chancellor Palpatine talking at the Court?"

Skylin nodded grimly. "Chatty, weren't they? Funny - I thought Windu hated the Chancellor."

"I don't suppose we could find some way of monitoring their interactions?" Obi-Wan asked thoughtfully.

"Hmm. It might be possible." Skylin paused as they passed a cheap food stall, eyeing the kebabs. "Know any spies you can trust?" she asked, digging in her pocket for loose credits.

"Possibly. I'll have to make some enquiries…" He stepped ahead of her in the stall line and paid for the snack before she could find her credits, and refused her offers to pay him back. They started back towards the Temple District – in Obi-Wan's case, reluctantly. They turned out onto a causeway that aligned a minor traffic lane. It was still quite busy, even though it was late. Obi-Wan had enjoyed the night, despite the awkward meeting with the pacifists. He liked Skylin; she didn't expect him to be anything he wasn't.

The traffic sped by in the land beside them; Skylin was walking near the edge. Something in the Force warned him, and he hesitated.

"Perhaps we should avoid the causeways," he said. "I've had some incidents recently where - look out!"

The speeder came out of nowhere. He leapt forward, taking an extra moment to push Skylin down, and then there was a crunch of screaming metal as the speeder rammed him backwards five paces into the concrete wall of a building, compressing its front end by a foot. The driver reversed frantically, and Skylin was on her feet, her blue lightsaber flaring to life, prepared to give chase. The speeder swerved back to re-join the traffic lane, and she yelled after it.

"Get back here! Kriffing turd!" She glanced back at Obi-Wan and stopped dead; he was on his knees, coughing blood onto the ground. "That was _meant_ for me," Skylin said, exasperated, deactivating her lightsaber and hurrying back over to him.

Obi-Wan grimaced. "It was my pleasure," he said hoarsely, and wiped blood onto his sleeve.

"I guess our friends have officially given us their opinion of our relationship." She slid an arm around his waist carefully and helped him up.

"'Relationship'? Is that what we're calling it now?" he commented sardonically.

Skylin glanced at him slyly. "Yeah, you wish, Kenobi." Then she frowned, listening to the gurgle behind his breathing as she hauled him back towards the alley. "Sounds like a lung," she said.

"Yes, I agree…" Obi-Wan leaned against the wall, his breathing laboured. He saw Skylin pull out her comlink, and he held up a hand. "I'd - I'd rather not go to the Temple Healers," he said with difficulty.

"Don't worry." Skylin made a quick call describing their location.

"So … where did you fit enough combat experience into your … illustrious career to recognise a punctured … lung purely by sound?"

"I didn't. I just remember things I learned in classes as an apprentice."

Obi-Wan slid down into a sitting position, grimacing. "That's extraordinary," he said, earnestly.

Skylin shrugged. "It's silly to take credit for natural skills. If you ever compliment me on my lightsaber form, for example, then I'll accept it - _that's_ something I had to work for."

They both looked up as a small red speeder slammed to a halt outside the entrance to their alleyway. A woman with short greying hair left the engine running and jumped out.

"Brin!" Skylin clasped hands with the newcomer, who snapped a pair of flight goggles up onto her forehead and turned to glare at Obi-Wan.

"This one?" she asked, with a sharp voice.

"Yeah - he got crushed by a speeder. I think a rib pierced his lung."

Brin just grunted. "Alright. Let's get going."

Their destination was not far away, and soon Obi-Wan was stepping through a concealed entrance into a small, bright room. They passed through, and he realised it was a waiting room - a few people sat on benches around the edge. He did a double take when they passed a man in the corner. His face was familiar - extremely familiar. The man was a clone trooper.

Obi-Wan stopped himself from staring, and hurried after the women, his chest aching sharply. They turned off a narrow hallway into a room on the right, which was set up for surgery.

The older woman started preparations immediately. Skylin put a hand on Obi-Wan's arm and guided him over to the bench. If it had been Anakin, he would have waved the assistance away, but for some reason he didn't mind when she touched him. Perhaps it was because she was gentle; he didn't put much thought to it.

He sat on the bench and removed his belt, then let her help him with his tunics. It was difficult to lift his arms. Brin passed her a shot, and she confidently smacked the needle into his arm.

"Brin is renowned on several planets for her skills," Skylin said, wagging a finger at him. "You'll be delaying a lot of appointments for her today."

Obi-Wan nodded. "I'm grateful - I can wait, if you have any other business," he said to the older woman directly. She replied, speaking to him for the first time.

"The longer we wait, the longer it'll take in there," she said, pointing to Obi-Wan's chest, and wheeling over a trolley of instruments. "Lie down, boy, before the anaesthetic kicks in. And don't make me deal with any of your Force rubbish."

Obi-Wan eased back on the bench, focussing to make sure his shields wouldn't impede her, as she'd instructed. He was slightly amused at being called 'boy', and a glance at Skylin rewarded him with a quick smirk.

The darkness was approaching quickly. "See you soon, Kenobi," Skylin said, and he closed his eyes. In the last remaining seconds of consciousness, he felt a hand brush his forehead gently.


	5. Chapter 5

Skylin looked up from her datapad when Brin walked into the recovery room with two warm drinks. She set them down and joined her younger friend, who was sitting by Obi-Wan's bed. Skylin put her datapad down and took the drink gratefully.

"He's taking a long time to come round," she said, glancing over his sleeping form again. She had been sitting here for an hour already. The surgery went fine, but now she was a little concerned.

Brin shrugged. "He's tired." She sipped her drink and raised an eyebrow. "You don't have to stay here, you know. Come back in the morning."

"No, it's alright – I want to stay."

Brin regarded her levelly. "Thought Jedi weren't supposed to have crushes, Missy," she said flatly.

Skylin rolled her eyes. "I'm allowed to have _friends_."

"Not this one though, I'll bet – I've seen the news reports."

Skylin glanced at her, but didn't reply. Brin was right, as always – Skylin knew it was dangerous to get too close to any WFC Jedi. She had avoided it well until now. There was something about Obi-Wan that made her forget about the likely repercussions of helping him out. He was nice, and he had no one else. And also, she was starting to get sick of being a good girl.

"You know," Brin continued, "If you ever needed to disappear for a while, I know the right people."

Skylin glanced around the recovery ward – half of the occupants were clone troopers. "I can see that," she replied. "How many clones do you get these days?"

"And why?" They both looked up as the raspy voice sounded from beside them – Obi-Wan was awake. Brin got to her feet and checked his vitals. Skylin walked around the other side of the bed and touched his hand hesitantly.

"The surgery went well," she assured him. "How do you feel?"

"Well, I've certainly felt worse," he smiled.

"You're fine," Brin concluded, tucking away her stethoscope. "You can stay the night here if you want, but you don't have to. I need to go check some other patients, Sky – I'll see you later."

"Thankyou," Skylin nodded, and her friend left the ward. Obi-Wan sat up tenderly. "So? Why all the clones? This place doesn't strike me as a public hospital."

Skylin returned to her drink and sipped it thoughtfully before replying. "It's a difficult topic, Obi-Wan… Are you sure you want to hear this now?"

He nodded. "Tell me."

Sighing, she sat down again, and put her drink down. "They don't tell you this – I mean, Jedi who work with the clones. I think they must manage it very effectively… Have you never wondered what happens to clones who are injured too badly to be treated on the battlefield?"

Obi-Wan frowned, but replied straight away. "They're returned to Kamino for treatment – just like I was returned to Coruscant." He met her eyes, troubled. "Aren't they?"

"Unfortunately, no. The Republic – by 'Republic' I mean the Chancellor – has set a limit on every clone's expenditure. Once their medical bill – or their age, for that matter – reaches a certain number…" she trailed off – she didn't want to stress him out with details right now.

"What happens?" he pressed. "Are you saying they are refused treatment after that point?"

Skylin sighed. "Yes, if they're lucky – like these clones here," she waved an arm around the room. "But in most cases, they're… killed."

"Killed," Obi-Wan repeated, disbelieving. "How?"

"Injection, I think." Skylin shifted uncomfortably, turning her gaze to one of the clones across the room. "I'm not really supposed to know, but my position gives me access to certain records… I told Brin about it, and she's started taking in clones who escaped before getting terminated. They're not able to pay her anything for treatment, but… Well, they might be cloned, but they're still _men_. I don't know why the Republic is using them at all, if they're just going to treat them the same as robots."

She looked back at Obi-Wan; his head was in both his hands. "This is terrible," he said hoarsely. "How could I not have known this? It's… I have to tell other Jedi."

"Tried that," Skylin said with a grim expression. "The Council has a thorough cover-up method in place. Trust me, I've tried it all."

He shook his head. "We must do something."

Skylin considered him for a moment. "Well," she said hesitantly, "This is one thing I was considering, but I don't know if you'll agree with me. You see, I really think the only thing to do at this point is to stop the production of clones entirely."

Obi-Wan regarded her levelly. "How would you do that?"

She leaned in and lowered her voice. "The genetic supply for clone production was moved to Coruscant three months ago – I think the Chancellor wanted to keep a closer eye on it. But I just happen to have a contact – one of the scientists who works at the lab. I think I might be able to get access to the lab, in order to sabotage the genetic supply." She sat back, waiting for his reaction. "It would be risky," she added.

Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes, it will."


	6. Chapter 6

Skylin helped Obi-Wan back to the Temple and his quarters in the early hours of the morning. The sun was just beginning to rise when by the time he was finally collapsing onto his bed. The painkillers had made him groggy, and he groaned in relief as he lay back. Skylin tugged his boots off for him, and pulled the blankets up to his chin, kneeling beside the bed. He turned his head towards her, her face lit by the soft light of the bedside lamp.

"Now," she said seriously. "Get some sleep. And remember, Brin said don't roll around. You have to stay on your back."

"I will," he smiled. "I - don't know how I can ever thank you. For everything."

She shrugged, and reached up to brush his fringe back. It was a somewhat absent-minded gesture, but after a moment she froze and withdrew her hand. "Sorry."

"It's alright," he said quickly, earnestly. He touched a hand to her arm, stopping her from getting up.

With a confused expression, she pushed his hand off gently and got to her feet. "I have to be in the office in an hour. I'd better get some sleep." She grabbed her bag and paused in his doorway only long enough to say, "Night."

Obi-Wan woke at midday and felt stiff and sore, but well enough to go up to the Council chambers. He knew Skylin would not be happy, but he wanted to get a straight answer about the clones. At the reception, Obi-Wan asked for an audience, and it took a few seconds to sink in when the young woman hesitated, and asked if he could come back later in the evening.

"Wh – can I ask for the reason?"

"The Council is busy right now."

He faltered. "They usually see me straight away."

"I'm sorry." He was dismissed.

The trip up to the Council room had drained his energy like a quickly-deflating balloon, and he considered going straight back to bed, but then on the way he diverted and stopped in to Skylin's office.

She smiled when he arrived and quickly found a seat for him amongst the chaos of files. The strange awkwardness of the night before was forgotten.

When he told her about the Council, she just rolled her eyes. "Welcome to the world of the average Jedi. _Everyone_ has to make an appointment. It's only you special favourites who get to just walk in."

"Special favourites?" Obi-Wan asked, baffled.

"You know – mostly male Jedi, good with a lightsaber, gets all the short but high-profile missions." She sniffed. "The Council's perfect little pets."

Obi-Wan bowed his head, silent for a moment while she tapped at the datapad on her desk. Finally he looked back up at her. "I believe I earned any respect I had," he said quietly.

Skylin spun her chair back to face him, and shrugged. "Yeah, well. I should leave you out of it, I guess. You can't say you've never noticed it, though."

"Give me an example."

"Your apprentice," she responded immediately. "I don't think it was your fault, but he never earned any of the privileges he was given."

Obi-Wan sighed deeply. "His situation was difficult from the start. Sometimes I think I shouldn't have..." he trailed off for a moment, then his focus returned to her, and he shook his head slightly. "Never mind. Have you managed to reach that contact you mentioned last night?"

Skylin nodded, and passed Obi-Wan a datapad to read the messages sent between Skylin and this Dr Kadsira during the day. The further he got through the document, the more his frown deepened. He wasn't happy with the encryption quality; the scientist's access credentials were barely passable; his responses were often subtly evasive and the overall tone of the exchange gave him a bad feeling.

"What do you think?" she asked hopefully as he put the datapad back on the desk and she looked up from her work.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think you should proceed with this plan. It's too dangerous."

Her face fell. "Why?"

He explained carefully the aspects of the exchange that made him suspicious, and though she was resistant at first, she reluctantly agreed. "I suppose you're right. You have much more experience with this stuff."

"It's not the end of the matter. We will find another road. When I speak to the Council this evening, I will challenge them on this, and see what their response is. I know you've advised me against it, but I feel it is worth attempting."

Skylin groaned. "I'm telling you, it's not worth it. And you can't risk Brin-"

"I won't mention the medical facility. I promise."

Skylin threw up her hands. "Fine. But you can't say I didn't warn you."

At first, Obi-Wan thought the audience went well. They made him wait outside for over an hour, but when he was finally allowed in, he explained to Master Kolar and Master Windu that he was concerned by some things he had heard about the treatment of the clone soldiers.

Kolar gave him the address of a nearby clone retirement facility. "You're free to visit the facility any time," he said to Obi-Wan earnestly. "It's just one of many, of course. When you visit, you will see that these rumours are false."

As he was leaving, Mace Windu fell in step beside him on his way to the elevator. "It would be a good idea to keep quiet about these rumours, Obi-Wan," he said in a friendly tone.

"Why is that?" Obi-Wan asked carefully, slowing to a halt.

Windu smiled. "Don't you want your rank and honour restored?"

Obi-Wan did visit the facility, the next morning. It was conveniently nearby the Senate District, and it housed fifty 'retired clones'. Obi-Wan was welcomed inside and told to stay as long as he liked, but after thirty minutes of walking around the bright hallways and gardens that reeked of fake, he'd had enough. He made his way to the exit, passing two of the token 'retired clones' in the hallway, who ignored him. He had only to steal a glance into one of the long dorm rooms to see that it was obvious none of these clones stayed here for long. He was considering looking around a bit more secretively and finding the med lab and crematorium he knew must be here somewhere, when he got a call from Skylin.

"Obi-Wan!" Her voice was distressed. "It's Brin's facility. It's… You have to get over here now."

"I'm on my way."

He jumped on a tram and arrived in ten minutes at the place where the medical centre had been. The only thing there now was a pile of smoking rubble. He ran over to Skylin, who stood in front of where the entrance had been, her face still stunned.

"What happened?"

"A demolition squad, overnight… They made it look like an explosion."

"Is Brin…"

"She's alright. She's hiding. It's lucky she was awake so late, to hear them setting the charges on the walls…" She groaned in frustration. "How did they even find out about it? Do you think it was us?"

Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head. "It could have been. There may be more surveillance on us than I thought…" He trailed off as a convoy of speeders arrived and Mace Windu jumped out. He approached them across the laneway, and a gaggle of media crews piled out of the speeders and trailed after him, cameras trained on the rubble. He paused by Obi-Wan and Skylin and gave a troubled sigh. "This is inconclusive evidence that the Separatists are now employing terrorists to strike at the heart of the Republic. It is simply unacceptable that a civilian apartment block such as this could be the target of a military strike – I feel certain the Senate will vote to increase security in this District from now on."

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes slightly. "How can you be sure it was a Separatist attack?"

Windu met Obi-Wan's glare assuredly. "Oh, I'm sure." With a barely-hidden smirk, he turned to the film crews and started directing the reports. Obi-Wan grabbed Skylin's arm before she could take a furious step after Windu.

"What are you going to do, challenge him to a duel?" He asked in a low voice.

"If I'm quick, I might be able to get one good kick up his arse," she replied through gritted teeth.

"Come on, let's get out of here." He marched her away inconspicuously. As soon as they rounded the corner she turned to him, a resolute look in her eyes.

"I'm going in to the lab. Tonight."

"I thought you agreed it was too risky."

"I don't care."

She turned and stalked away, and he ran after her. "I don't trust that contact; in fact I think it could be some kind of trap. What will you do if it is?"

She glanced across at him cunningly. "Well… I guess that's where you come in."


	7. Chapter 7

Obi-Wan waited in the shadows of the alley opposite and watched her go in through the side door that was unlocked at midnight, exactly as planned. He grasped his comlink in one hand, watching the signal reader against the seconds ticking over. He had managed to convince her of one reasonably effective safety measure. She was to send a signal pulse by pressing a small laser device he had taped to the palm of her hand every minute in response to a small increase in heat on the device. If she missed a signal response, or if she pressed it out of sequence, he was storming the building.

He watched the feed closely, his heart rate increasing slightly every minute. He was nervous. He didn't trust this contact she had, he was unhappy with the adequacy of her planning, and he lacked confidence in her field abilities – she wasn't a field agent, and she had no experience. She should have let him go in her place. But she had refused, and he had no authority over her even if she did respect his revoked rank of Master.

There was a pause in a signal response and he lurched for the hilt of his lightsaber, but then the response came.

"Blast it, Skylin, don't do that to me," he muttered, taking a deep breath. For half an hour the responses came promptly and he was starting to expect to see her emerge. But then the signal response doubled up. She had pressed it twice. He hesitated for one moment, considering she might have hit it twice as a mistake. Then there was one more blip. She was in trouble.

The door was locked but it made no difference to Obi-Wan. He simply Force-pushed it inwards and barrelled through the weak hinges, straight into a squadron of clone troopers who attempted to restrain him. They didn't succeed. He dealt with them quickly but without his lightsaber – he couldn't bring himself to do that just yet.

Standing over the unconscious bodies, he checked the signal again, and found that the connection had cut out entirely. He reined in his panic and closed his eyes, focusing on the nearby Force currents. _He would find her. He would find her. He would_ – that way.

He ran down the dark corridor, turned left into another one, saw light through the gap in a doorway down the end, charged through.

It took him two seconds to take in the scene and then act. He slashed a medical droid in half, stopping its approach towards Skylin, who was suspended at ankles and wrists by ray binders in the middle of the lab. The scientist – Skylin's contact – brandished a syringe threateningly, but Obi-Wan kicked it out of his hand and punched the man squarely in the face. He felt the man's nose crumple beneath his fist, before he dropped to the floor, out cold.

The threat was gone. Obi-Wan turned to Skylin, who was watching with wide eyes, her face pale. He reached up and pulled a drip from her arm, then deactivated the ray binders. She dropped to the ground and he caught her under the arms in case she stumbled.

"Are you alright?"

She stepped forward and hugged him, burying her face in his tunic. It was only a gesture; he didn't know why it made something in his chest tremble. He put his free arm around her loosely, awkwardly, and took a deep breath. Glancing around the room, he tried to figure out what had happened. To his left there was a stainless steel trolley stacked with nasty-looking instruments, and he saw the drip he'd removed had been drawing out her blood – the stand held two packets already.

Skylin finally spoke, her voice muffled against his chest. "It was all just a set up. He showed me the cloning facilities first, then he drew me in here. He's insane – he was going on about finding the… the Force gene, or something, so he could put it into the clones? He was crazy."

That explained it. Obi-Wan sighed. "He wouldn't be the first, trust me." He tilted his head down, trying to see her face. "Are you okay?"

Skylin took a deep breath and stepped back, but grasped his tabards fondly. "Yeah, I'm fine. You rescued me... You were brilliant." She looked up at him, her eyes bright, her hands still grasping the front of his robes, and Obi-Wan shrugged, conscious that heat was flooding to his ears. She was quite close to him – he felt that he ought to step away, but somehow he didn't really want to.

"I'm always brilliant. You just don't notice," he said lightly.

She smiled. "No, I noticed." She stepped closer to him, lifted onto her tiptoes and kissed him.

The heat that had been pooling in his ears immediately dropped downwards and his heart rate jumped up about a hundred points. She held him in place with her grip on his tabards, and he stood frozen, awkward, unsure where to put his arms, unsure how to breathe. Involuntarily, his whole body shuddered, and she withdrew, lowering her heels back to the ground. She ran a hand over his head, messing up his hair, and giggled.

Obi-Wan cleared his throat and straightened his tunic. "Ah… We should probably get out of here," he said, his voice breaking into falsetto embarrassingly.

She nodded. "Yeah – good idea." She paused to retrieve her lightsaber from the pocket of the scientist on the floor, hesitated, then bent over again and picked up his datapad. She glanced at Obi-Wan and grinned. "Just so this mission wasn't a complete waste of time."

Back at the Temple, he walked her to her room.

At the door, she paused and shuffled her feet uncomfortably. "Err... You'd better not come in."

Obi-Wan nodded, folding his hands behind his back. "If your room is anything like your office, you're probably right. I don't fancy adding a broken neck to tonight's list of mishaps."

Skylin laughed, then sobered. "No, it's not that, it's just... You'd better not give me the opportunity to lead you further astray."

He frowned. "Skylin, I'm not a child."

"No, you're not. You're a Jedi Master. I'm sorry about before, it was unprofessional and... and it definitely won't happen again. Thanks for the help, Kenobi. Goodnight."

She disappeared inside and shut the door in his face. He stood there for a few seconds, wondering if he should ring the bell, try to speak to her again. No... that wouldn't be polite. He turned and made his way back down the hallway. He was now aware that he'd been unconsciously hoping for another kiss. It was a desire he'd never experienced before. His whole life, he had been too busy, too focused, or just not interested enough to spare a thought for things like kissing. In an instant, she had changed him. How?

He leaned against the wall in the elevator and closed his eyes, trying to remember exactly how it felt when her lips touched his. He supposed it was a result of simple human chemistry. He liked her, she liked him, they were both available. He frowned. He had never considered himself 'available' before. But now... she was a Jedi, but somehow on the outside, with an outsider's experiences. He was as good as an exile. The code no longer bound him as tightly as it had.

Perhaps the future didn't have to be as bleak as he'd thought.


	8. Chapter 8

**Edited after some advice from SerendipityAEY - thanks so much!

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The next morning, Obi-Wan woke to a new job assignment on his comlink, and he knew Skylin had been pulling strings. Today, instead of garbage or cleaning duty, he was assigned to assist in the crèche.

The group of six-year-olds he had been allocated were young enough not to be affected by the campaign against him. Their regular carer had been called away urgently, and he was left with a small list of activities to complete each day. The group had completed the list before lunchtime, and when Skylin visited the crèche during her break she found him cramped into a mini-sized chair at a mini-sized table, assisting with a craft project.

He got to his feet when he saw her and she grinned, looking over him. "You look like you've had a severe glitter-based allergic reaction."

Obi-Wan looked down at the paste and sparkles all over his sleeves and pants with amusement. "Yes, that's true, but I would still like to see you do better."

She laughed and, a little awkwardly, held up a small bag of food. "Um… I brought some lunch. You deserve it after last night. Er... I think you get a break about now?"

"Oh," Obi-Wan said, surprised. "Thankyou. Yes, I'm just waiting for the meditation teacher to arrive… Er, the kitchen is just through there."

"Right." Skylin put on a smile and refrained from cringing as she crossed to the side door into the small break room. She hoped he wasn't angry about last night.

She unpacked the rolls from her bag and sat down, flicking the HoloNet news on while she waited.

She watched it with half her focus, the other half listening to the noise of the children while they packed up their craft materials and then disappeared down the corridor with their other teacher.

Obi-Wan came into the kitchen a moment later and smiled at her as he sat down.

"I… suspect you're responsible for getting me this job. I must thank you. It's a little messy, but much less unpleasant than the others."

Skylin shook her head to disregard the thanks, and passed him the roll she'd brought. They sat in somewhat awkward silence for a minute or two, chewing and watching the news as a pretense.

"These are nice sandwiches…" Obi-Wan finally spoke up. "I remember having something similar on a mission to Malastare a few years ago… Where did you get them?"

"Actually, it's a secret," Skylin replied, holding back a grin.

Obi-Wan leaned in closer. "I promise I won't tell," he said seriously.

"Well, it's a cheap place I used a lot when I was a student. Couldn't afford anything much, but I could get a decent meal there. If I tell too many people, they'll get popular and their price will go up."

Obi-Wan sat back with a frown and swallowed his mouthful. "The Temple didn't support you financially while you were studying?"

"No…" Skylin shook her head. "For all the specialist Jedi professions, the rules are… Well, they're different."

"How so?"

"The idea is that you need the full university experience – once they start limiting what you can do, there's always the risk that you'll miss out on an important aspect of your education, or that you might feel the need to put your Jedi responsibilities above your learning. So I was allowed to live more like a civilian rather than a Jedi."

"Is that so?" Obi-Wan chewed thoughtfully for a moment. "So… Did you make many friends at university?"

"Yeah, of course. I still keep in contact with some of them."

"I've found that it's hard to make civilian friends, as a Jedi."

Skylin shrugged. "It's not that hard. If you try."

"I suppose…" He focused on his roll and said, "So… How about boyfriends?" He asked the question in a neutral voice, but she noticed a piece of hair fell out of place, across his forehead.

"Well, obviously I couldn't tell a council member details like that," she smirked. "You'll dob me in."

"I would not," Obi-Wan replied with composure. "Besides, I thought you said rules were different for _specialists_, such as yourself."

"Mm," she finished her lunch and leaned back in the chair, unscrewing the lid of her bottle of water. "It's sort of a don't ask, don't tell policy. I _may_ have had a … err, liaison or two…"

Obi-Wan made no response to this but continued to focus intensely on the remainder of his meal. "Were they … ahem … human?"

Skylin clapped a hand to her mouth to prevent water spraying out as she laughed. "Of course human!" she exclaimed once she swallowed her mouthful. She laughed as Obi-Wan's face grew very slightly coloured. "Err… Why do you ask?"

Obi-Wan shrugged awkwardly. "I'm sorry, I just thought, perhaps-"

He cut off as they both looked up to the Holo Screen at the mention of Obi-Wan's name. It was a news report.

"Shocking new evidence has come to light regarding the unscrupulous history of Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi, former hero of the Republic. His character has been called in to question this week after information from an anonymous source has revealed that Kenobi in fact left the Jedi Order early on in his career, and only returned under an extended probation. His reasons for leaving at that time included a desire to aid a terrorist organisation and to pursue a relationship with a woman. In a similar vein, this morning a Coruscanti woman has come forward in a campaign against the Jedi Temple, demanding family provision payments. She claims Jedi Kenobi is the father of her child, and she says she has the DNA evidence to prove it."

The shot cut to a trashy-looking woman holding a baby with blue eyes and auburn hair. "He visited me regularly last year. He promised he would look after me, but I've tried to contact him, and…" she broke down into tears.

Skylin turned to Obi-Wan. All the colour had drained out of his face, and she could feel anger building in her stomach. "What is this shit?" she asked, pointing at the screen. "Is this true?"

"No," he said vehemently. "I've never seen that woman before."

Skylin gave a burst of harsh laughter. "Yeah, I'm sure. That's what all the Jedi pigs say. Do you know how often I have to deal with family maintenance claims like this? At least once a month. Male Jedi like you seem to think it's their right to go around using women like this. Let me guess – you never realised there could be a problem."

"Skylin, I-"

"Don't interrupt me," she cut him off sharply, getting to her feet to pace the room. "Do you know what I had to deal with just a few weeks ago? A Jedi Knight, male, who had been consistently mind tricking a woman for three months so that she would sleep with him whenever he wanted. And do you know what my job was? To use Republic money to pay her out to stay quiet. Oh, and also to pay for the abortion and treatment for STDs."

Obi-Wan's hand had come up to his face. He wasn't faking his shock. "What happened to the Knight?"

"Since he was a Council favourite? Shit all. What did you think?"

Obi-Wan didn't reply. His expression was pained.

"That baby looks just like you," Skylin said angrily. The picture was plastered across the screen now, and she flicked it off with an aggressive motion.

"Skylin." Obi-Wan focused his clear blue eyes on her, and spoke steadily. "Please believe me. I didn't do it."

She sighed. "Well… What about this stuff about leaving the Jedi?"

"That… that's somewhat true."

"_Somewhat_ true?"

Obi-Wan ran a hand through his hair restlessly. "When I was a Padawan, 14 I think, I got so wrapped up in a mission helping a faction in a civil dispute that I refused to return to the Temple with my Master when he wanted to leave early. I didn't intend to leave the Jedi… I was just trying to help."

"Right. So _part_ of the story is true, but the bit about the woman isn't?"

"Yes."

Sighing, Skylin leaned against the table, her arms crossed. She knew she was being a little irrational – Obi-Wan wasn't that kind of man. Still, unless it was disproved… "We have to act quickly."

"Why? What do you mean?"

"Can't you see the gears turning? If this claim is taken seriously, and the Jedi Council make an issue of it, what do you think will happen to you?"

Obi-Wan's expression darkened. "If the Council believes it… Or pretends to believe it… I won't be getting the option of a payout."

"Right."

He hesitated, and asked reservedly, "You think they would expel me?"

"Without a second thought. That is, if you don't agree to whatever alternative they give you – and I can promise you it won't be a pleasant one. We have to defuse this now, before they start getting leverage on it."

"Alright…" he got to his feet, and spread his hands. "What can I do?"

"Nothing," Skylin said dismissively. "Just stay out of trouble. I'll handle this."

Skylin's head was reeling. It was four thirty am, the next morning, and she'd barely stopped since leaving Obi-Wan in the crèche yesterday. First, and most important, she'd had to track down the true identity of the baby, locate its medical records and obtain its DNA identification, taken at birth in the hospital. That information was meant to be publicly available, but she knew from experience how many loopholes there were. Evidently, her adversaries had not got on to them fast enough. She had been very lucky. Next, she had to travel halfway across the planet to meet the only independent medical examiner who would see her on such short notice. He compared the information to Obi-Wan's, and confirmed that the two were not, in fact, related. That, at least, had allayed a little bit of the heavy, ill feeling in her stomach.

After that, she had to find a judge (after hours) who would hear her ex parte defamation claim and grant a media injunction, which she then had to organise to be delivered by registered hardcopy to all the major journalist corporations. She leaned against the courier's speeder to finish signing the documents, and waited wearily while he sorted out the bill. It was still completely dark, and deserted and cold out here in the square in front of the courts. She pulled out her comlink and sent a text to Obi-Wan impulsively, hoping it woke him up. She had to admit to herself that she probably wouldn't have gone to this much effort for just any Jedi - and it definitely didn't have anything to do with how she felt slightly guilty for not believing him at first. Still, she reasoned, if she was awake, he ought to be as well.

It was perhaps fifteen minutes later when she settled the bill with Republic taxpayer money, which gave her some amusement. The courier sped off, and she tugged her robe around herself, shouldered her bag, and started back towards the Temple. Less than half way back, she met Obi-Wan coming in the opposite direction.

He was fully dressed, completely awake and alert. She stopped in her tracks and waited for him to reach her, looking him up and down, slightly dumbfounded.

"You were awake?"

"I don't sleep," he replied flatly.

Skylin narrowed her eyes at him shrewdly. "Kenobi, you're a big liar," she accused, and then sighed. "I was really hoping to wake you up and annoy you."

"Perhaps another time," he said with half a smile, and then leaned in to speak in a lower voice. "Ah – I haven't been summoned to the Council yet, so I'm hoping you've had some success?"

"Yeah, yeah. You don't have to worry anymore. I saved your arse. I think you owe me breakfast."

"Of course." With a smile, he drew a small paper bag out of a pocket and handed it to her. It was faintly steaming in the cold air. "I picked this up on the way."

Skylin took it hesitantly. "Really?" It smelled amazing.

Obi-Wan just shrugged, and turned to walk beside her back to the Temple. She demolished the pastry and started explaining to him the difficulties of her night's work, but after a few minutes he paused in his tracks, listening.

"What is it?" she asked, looking around.

"We should get out of sight... quickly." With no more warning, he grabbed her around the waist and tugged her sideways towards a narrow alleyway, and just in time - around the next corner, she saw the first white armored foot emerge.

They edged backwards further, into the deep darkness of the alley, until Obi-Wan's back hit the wall and Skylin's hit his hard chest, and they remained there frozen while the squadron of clone troops marched past, an endless stream of white passing by the mouth of the alley. Obi-Wan's hand lingered around Skylin's waist, holding her against him, and he breathed an explanation against her ear: "I passed some on the way here. They're enforcing a new curfew in this district - arresting almost everyone they met."

"Then I'm glad you met me first," she whispered. It probably wasn't necessary for them to stay frozen still - the darkness down here was initially impenetrable. But she didn't really want to move away.

Finally, the flow of troops ended. Skylin took a deep breath in relief, and turned to face Obi-Wan. He didn't release his hold on her, keeping her close to him as she turned. She looked up into his face.

"All clear," she smiled.

"Wait a little bit," he murmured. "Let them get some distance..." he trailed off as he lifted his other hand to her cheek, running a finger along a strand of hair, his eyes darting down to her lips. Skylin remained perfectly still. She knew she shouldn't allow this, but she couldn't convince herself to move to stop it. She was paralysed by the feelings - her chest against his, warm and hard; his arm holding her close; his big blue eyes so intent on her, as though there was nothing else in the whole world that he cared about.

He tilted his head, grasped her more tightly around the waist and brought his lips to hers - feather-soft, the lightest of grazes, the brush of hair above her top lip, then he paused, hesitant, unsure. He squeezed his eyes shut briefly and swallowed hard. He took a breath in.

"Please, show me."

Skylin hesitated. _Why_? she wanted to ask - because of me, really? Or because you just want to satisfy your new curiosity? There was no point asking - he didn't know, himself. She could see it in his eyes now. He was on the verge of a world he'd never known before. She hadn't wanted to corrupt him, but now it was done. She kissed him properly, and hoped it would mean more to him than an experiment, an experience for its own sake.

She kissed him deeper and ran her hands through his hair. She parted her lips a little more, and he copied. She sucked on his bottom lip, and he tried it on her straight away. He was learning like a sponge, and was suddenly no longer hesitant and uncertain. She felt, with some surprise, his hands run down her back, lower and lower, then over her arse. Excitement flared in her stomach, and she grabbed his tunic front and spun him around until his calves hit the ledge of a low external ventilation unit on the other wall of the alley. Taking advantage of his surprise, she pushed him until he sat, then she straddled him and shoved him onto his back. He flopped backwards, still too overwhelmed to react, and she grasped his wrists and pinned them both above his head with one hand, running her other hand down his side, over his chest and stomach, tugging at his clothes. He tried to capture her mouth again while she hovered above him, her hands pinning him down, but now she was too distracted by the hard bulge beneath her to respond to his lips, and she rocked her hips forward to grind against him... His eyes flew open and he exhaled as though he'd been punched - and she hesitated. _What was she doing_?

Crashing back to reality, she stopped and scrambled off him, back to her feet, crossing her arms tightly, looking down at him. She'd left him disarrayed and gasping, his tunics all messed up, his hair over his face, his chest heaving, his cheeks darkened. Her heart was sinking fast. He'd just wanted to kiss, not... that.

Obi-Wan sat up slowly, and pushed his hair back. "I... don't understand."

She took a step backwards and leaned against the opposite wall, composing herself. She didn't reply straight away. She had to be utterly clear now, or she would definitely regret it.

"I... I want you to understand what you're asking," she said. "There's only so many ways this can go... Have you really thought it through? Once you start down this path, you can't go back." She paused to wince at the connotations. "What I mean is... What if you don't like it? What if you end up hating me for it? I don't want to lose you as a friend." She sighed. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have taken it so far."

Obi-Wan digested this for a moment, staring at her shoes. His hair slid forward over his eyes again. Finally he spoke. "No." He looked up at her. "Don't apologise." He got to his feet and took a moment to straighten his clothes. "You're right - I wasn't thinking with my head. This wasn't the right time, or place." Stepping closer, he took both her hands gently in his. "I don't want to lose you either. I really like you, Skylin."

She met his eyes, and found that intensity back in them, the one that made it so hard to look away... or to think.

"I know you think I'm naive and that I have no idea what I'm doing-" he continued, and she tried to interrupt him there, but he forged ahead. "Well, it's true. But I've never felt like this before, and... I want to be with you, if you're..." he paused and then continued in a careful tone, "If I haven't interpreted our interactions entirely wrong."

Skylin tried to restrain the smile that was growing over her face, but it was no good. This was exactly what she'd been hoping to hear him say - so much that it made her throat close up slightly. She didn't really care that he didn't know what he was doing, that it was probably only by accident that he'd managed to deliver the most earnest romantic speech she'd ever been subjected to in her life.

She nodded, and squeezed out a hoarse, "Okay."

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Hope you're enjoying what is probably the only grown-up-but-virgin!Obi fics in existence :p

Please R&R any comments at all, this is the first time I've tried to do more than just skim over the descriptive romance stuff, so would appreciate some feedback. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far, especially since the fandom is a little dead atm! I'll try to get the next chapter out soon :)


	9. Chapter 9

After that night, Skylin became so flooded with work that she barely had time to sleep, let alone see Obi-Wan again. In the blink of an eye, a whole week had passed since she last spoke to him, and it was at four in the morning when she finally commed him, but not for a happy reason.

"Uh – hello?" His voice was rough.

"Obi-Wan, I'm sorry to call you at this hour, but I need your help." She glanced back at the tear-stained Jedi sitting in her room. "It's… Can you come over?"

"Of course."

He was there within five minutes, slightly dishevelled but fully dressed. When she answered the door, he smiled, but seemed a little uncertain. "Hello."

Skylin paused, suddenly realising how long it had been since she'd seen him. "I'm sorry I haven't called you before now," she started, but he shook his head.

"That's alright."

She hesitated, wanting to explain herself, but wary of lingering in the hallway for too long. "Er – come in."

She stepped back, and started to introduce Obi-Wan to the other Jedi, but as soon as he saw her he exclaimed, "Bultar! What's happened?" and the woman, Jedi Knight Bultar Swan, burst into tears again.

Skylin was relieved when Obi-Wan immediately went over and put an arm around her, attempting to calm her down. She had been worried he would be as bad with crying people as she was. Skylin explained the situation.

"Bultar asked me to call you for your help, Obi-Wan. We're not sure what to do. She's just come from the Healing Halls. You see, they tried to perform a procedure on her without her consent."

Obi-Wan frowned, glancing over the other Jedi to check for injuries. "Are you ill? What was the procedure?"

"Well, it was an abortion." Skylin said, watching him carefully for his reaction. Obi-Wan nodded, then stopped nodding, and looked back at her.

"A _what_?"

"It's when they-"

"No, I know what it is," he shook his head. "But – Bultar – you mean you're pregnant?"

His friend nodded, putting her face in her hands again. Obi-Wan rubbed her back absently, a frown creasing his forehead. "But – to who?"

Skylin spoke up. "To Master Zyven. They've been in a relationship for a while. Long story short, she loves him and she wants to keep it."

"To keep what?" Obi-Wan was starting to look out of his depth. Skylin sighed. "The baby, Obi-Wan," she said patiently.

"But – what would they do? I mean…"

"Well, this is why we called you. We need your advice. I'm not sure what to do either. But she escaped the Healing Halls and she can't stay here for long, they'll be looking for her."

"Wait a minute," Obi-Wan got to his feet, shaking his head. "Let me go over this again. Bultar was at the Healing Halls when they discovered her pregnancy, and they tried to perform an abortion without her consent?"

"That's right," Skylin nodded, watching him closely.

"That's… that's terrible." He looked disturbed. "Are they _allowed_ to do that?"

Skylin shrugged. "They do it all the time. Don't you think it's convenient that out of thousands of female Jedi, none ever get pregnant?" She sighed. "It's never been standard practice to go ahead without consent, though. That's new. It says to me that the _rot _has finally reached a majority within the Healers, too."

Obi-Wan nodded, running a finger and thumb over his mustache. "Yes, when I was there last I found them to be much less hospitable than they used to be." He turned back to Bultar. "How far along are you?" he asked gently.

"About thirty weeks, maybe," she said in a croaky voice.

At Obi-Wan's blank look, Skylin supplied, "That's three quarters to full term." It explained why Bultar had taken to wearing the bulky traditional garments of her homeworld Kuat recently - they hid her altered shape very effectively.

"I see. And does Master Zyven… know?"

She nodded tearfully. "But he's away on a mission; we hadn't decided what to do before he got called away. And now I don't know what to do…" she crumpled into tears again, and Obi-Wan returned to his seat next to her, pulling her into his chest.

"It's alright. It's alright; we'll figure something out."

Skylin sat back down on her bed with a relieved sigh. She met Obi-Wan's eyes over Bultar's head and mouthed a silent 'thankyou'. He returned her smile half-heartedly, and then spoke to the older woman in a soft voice. "There is no point attempting to reason with the Council about this, especially while Master Yoda is away. You will have to go into hiding for now. I'm sure Skylin has a contact who can help. And we will get word to Zyven as soon as possible. Everything can be arranged; there's no need to worry." He glanced back up to Skylin. "Perhaps you could call Brin?"

Skylin nodded and grabbed her comlink. She knew it was an awful situation, but she felt immoderately happy – Obi-Wan had taken this so well. She hadn't expected him to turn them in, but she had been worried he wouldn't approve.

It was only an hour later when they met Brin at the edge of the Temple district in a yellow speeder and said their goodbyes to Bultar. Brin took one quick glance at her and declared she was closer to thirty-five weeks than thirty, and that it was a good thing they didn't wait any longer to call her in case she went into labour prematurely.

Skylin drew her friend aside while Obi-Wan assisted Bultar to climb carefully into the speeder.

"Thanks for your help. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Brin replied in a low voice. "I'm surprised to see him playing a role in this," she said flatly, nodding to Obi-Wan. "Are you sure you can trust him? I'm not planning to have my hideout exposed any time soon."

Skylin shook her head. "I trust him. He's…" she glanced at Brin, who was watching her with a cocked eyebrow. "I really like him, Brin," she admitted with a guilty smile.

Brin restrained a short laugh and rolled her eyes. "Well." She clapped Skylin on the arm roughly. "He's standing right there," she teased. "What are you waiting for?"

Once Bultar was ready to go, Brin jumped into the pilot's seat, and Skylin and Obi-Wan stood back from the small docking platform. Boldly, she grabbed Obi-Wan's hand, and squeezed it. He looked down at her questioningly.

"Thank you for helping me."

"You knew I would."

"WHAT IS THIS?"

They broke apart and spun around as the risk they had been taking suddenly came to fruition: Mace Windu had stepped around the corner and now stood there staring at the scene, anger radiating from him like steam.

Skylin blanched, and called out, "Brin! Go!"

Her friend floored it, and the speeder shot off, but Windu raised one hand and the vehicle slammed to a halt. Both occupants were thrown forward – Bultar tumbled awkwardly and hit the dash hard against her side, her head striking the windshield, and then lay still. Brin swore and dived to help her.

"So. In your disgrace, you've decided to ally yourself with traitors and fugitives, Kenobi."

"Mace, just wait and listen to me. The situation-"

"The situation is clear. Obey me now, or I will expel you from the Jedi Order. You will have no friends, no home, no purpose."

Skylin backed away and leaned over the speeder to help Brin dab blood away from the cut on Bultar's forehead. The older woman then scrambled for her first aid kit. Skylin glanced back at Obi-Wan, watching him from behind as his shoulders relaxed and his body set in a deadly calm.

"If that is the price for following the right path, then I accept it."

Rage bloomed in Windu's eyes. "You're a fool I see there is no point wasting my time with you!" He ignited his violet lightsaber as he stepped onto the walkway and started towards the group. Obi-Wan stood at the edge of the platform, between them and Windu, but he didn't draw his own weapon.

"What do you think you're doing?" he exclaimed. "Look at yourself. You're not thinking straight. Are you going to attack me?"

"You're on the edge of becoming an enemy of the Republic, Kenobi. The Chancellor warned me about you. He warned me this would happen. He was right."

Still moving forward, Windu raised his lightsaber, ready to attack. Skylin's knuckles were white on the edge of the speeder. Obi-Wan still hadn't put a hand on his hilt.

"I won't fight you, Mace."

"Then you're a bigger fool than I realised." Mace struck, and Skylin started to move, but Brin grabbed the back of her tunic and tugged her down into the seat.

"Stay here, girl. Your boyfriend knows what he's doing."  
"He's not my…" she trailed off, watching with wide eyes as Obi-Wan defended the impossibly fast flurry of attacks from Windu. Obi-Wan blocked, but didn't strike back. He ceded ground, but moved away from the speeder, until he jumped from their landing platform to the next, drawing Windu with them.

Skylin glanced at Brin as she shifted the speeder into gear.

"Mace Windu is the greatest sword fighter in the Order," she said. "We can't just leave Obi-Wan to face him alone."

"Don't be stupid – he's drawing him away so we can escape."

Obi-Wan noted with satisfaction that the yellow speeder carrying Skylin, Bultar and Brin had disappeared into the traffic lane. Now all he had to do was deal with the Jedi Master who was trying to kill him.

He skipped backwards, away from the assault momentarily, enough time to slash his saber through the edge of the platform where it connected to the walkway. The platform beneath their feet trembled.

"Weak fool," Windu snarled, attacking with fresh ferocity and driving Obi-Wan back onto the walkway. "You really think that pathetic plan would work on me?"

The platform was starting to bend away from where it was attached, cables snapping from the joint.

"No," Obi-Wan replied, and Force Pushed the bigger man backwards onto the compromised platform, then charged onto it himself, his lightsaber whirling, blocking any escape, as the final cables snapped. "But maybe on both of us."

The platform broke, and it and the two Jedi dropped into space.

Obi-Wan spread his arms, trying to slow his fall. He approached the first lane of traffic far too quickly, and only narrowly avoided an old speeder that almost swiped him just to his left, trailing fumes that got in his eyes and mouth, making him cough and his eyes stream. He knew this was probably it – this was a built up area, with smaller distances between the levels than some other places on the planet. The top of a lower-level building was racing up at him, and he could barely see it through his stinging eyes.

Then he felt himself slow, felt the Force swirl around him, and the yellow speeder decelerated beneath him, and he was caught safely in Skylin's hold. Focussing intensely, she pulled him in, until he dropped into the seat next to her.

"Alright?" she asked him.

"I am now," he replied.

Suddenly, the speeder jerked and lost some height. Obi-Wan felt the energy around them and leaned over the side.

"Get us out of here," he said to Brin, who put her foot down, and the engines revved loudly, but still they moved sluggishly. Below them, Windu's feet were firmly planted on the broken platform, which was flying upwards towards them.

Obi-Wan got to his feet unsteadily, and tried to counter the tractor-beam-strength Force pull that Mace was exerting over the speeder. They started to move away, and Skylin grabbed him around the leg to stop him from falling as the whole vehicle shuddered, caught between the two Forces. Mace screamed in anger as Obi-Wan's power overcame his, and the speeder started to put some distance between them.

Obi-Wan watched in horror as Mace redirected his energy. Another speeder just above them suddenly swerved out of the traffic lane towards them. Brin avoided it with a shouted "What the!?" and Obi-Wan watched desperately as the other speeder spun away. He couldn't believe Mace was using innocent bystanders like this. Then he felt something, and turned, his stomach clenching with apprehension. Up ahead, to their right, the top level of a building was starting to crack and break apart from its foundations. Around it, traffic lanes veered away or ground to a halt at the incredible sight. Mace was trying to pull the whole building down on top of them.

"Does this thing go any faster?" Skylin asked, panic in her voice.

Brin yelled back. "Believe me, if it could, I would!"

The sped past it. There was no way to avoid it left or right, they were hemmed in by buildings, and if they went back they'd go straight to the crazed Jedi pursuing them. Brin angled the speeder up, dodging other vehicles that had slowed to a stop to watch in horror as the whole top story started to collapse sideways, towards them. But it didn't happen quite fast enough. They sped through just as shards of transparisteel and slabs of duracreet started to fall around them, then they were clear, and behind them, Obi-Wan watched as Mace Windu's flying platform flew straight into the avalanche he'd created.

"He'll get crushed," Skylin said, incredulous, her arms still wrapped tightly around his knee. Obi-Wan looked down.

"He was so fixed on the pursuit that he forgot to watch his own surroundings. The Mace Windu I knew would never have made such a fundamental mistake."

"He really has turned, then."

"Oh, some time ago, I think," he replied lightly. "Er – can I have my leg back?"

"Oh," Skylin blushed. "Sorry."

He turned and sat down beside her, reholstering his lightsaber and leaning forward to look across at Bultar.

"Is she alright?"

"No," Brin spoke up. "We need to get her back to my base as fast as possible."

"Will the baby be alright?"

Brin just pursed her lips, so Skylin replied instead. "She hit the dash very hard on her side. Brin will probably have to do an emergency C-section."

"But… isn't the baby still too small?" he asked, calculating in his head how premature it would be.

"I've done smaller," Brin snapped, and Obi-Wan thought it was probably best not to say any more about it.

They descended deep into the lower levels of the planet, deeper and deeper even after the sky was a distant memory. Skylin had definitely never been this far down before. Finally, they disappeared into a concealed landing platform, a small alcove in a pockmarked wall – and then flew straight _through_ the wall. Skylin's stomach lurched before she realised it was only a holographic disguise. The real landing platform was behind it.

This new headquarters was much bigger than Brin's old place. In fact, it was huge. They hurried through the complex behind the medics and Brin, down long hallways, and passing through a cavernous, cold warehouse that was probably used for a dining hall – but the number of tables and chairs stacked around the walls blew her mind. Just how many people were part of Brin's organisation now?

In the expansive medical centre, there were medics in abundance, but Brin insisted that the both of them scrub in as well in case there was any 'Jedi rubbish' that might interfere with her work. However, as Skylin expected, Bultar was too deeply unconscious for her shields to cause trouble, so she and Obi-Wan just stood in the corner and watched the operation with apprehension. It was very fast, and soon they heard a little half-choked cry, and Skylin spotted a tiny little foot between the barricade of medics surrounding the bed.

She looked up at Obi-Wan and smiled in relief, and he smiled back, and squeezed her rubber-gloved hand with his.

Two medics peeled off from the group and brought the tiniest baby across to a separate table to clean up and check over. Obi-Wan and Skylin both craned to look at it without getting in the way.

Brin passed the stitching job to another surgeon and came over to check the baby. The nurse had it cleaned and swaddled in a blanked in a matter of minutes, and then passed it to Brin, and hurried to another task.

Brin jerked her head at the two of them to come over.

"Here," she said to Obi-Wan. "I need you to hold him while we set up the incubator."

"Me?" Obi-Wan asked faintly, but then shut his mouth as Brin's disapproving expression. Skylin watched, her stomach a little jumpy, as Brin settled the baby into Obi-Wan's arms and warned him to support its head. He looked down at it in wonder.

Skylin helped Brin set up the incubator while Obi-Wan stood transfixed on the small life in his arms.

"This is the only reason you brought him in here, isn't it?" she accused her friend in a low voice.

Brin raised an eyebrow. "Has it worked?"

"What do you mean?"

"Has it made you want to take him to a deserted corridor and make your own straight away?"

Skylin choked. "Brin… I've known him for like… a month."

The older woman shrugged. "You told me once you wished you were allowed to have children. You've left the Jedi now; you are. And he seems kind of perfect."

Skylin looked back across the room at Obi-Wan; his hastily donned blue scrubs were falling off at the shoulder, but he didn't notice as he was smiling and unconsciously making silly soothing noises. The baby's little fingers were wrapped around Obi-Wan's pinky.

"Yeah, he does."

They waited for reassurance that Bultar was stable and would be fine, then Brin gave them directions back to the main hall where they could find some food. They left the medical centre and started down the corridor. Skylin waited until they were out of earshot of anyone else, then said, "Obi-Wan, I need to show you something I discovered yesterday. I was going to call you straight away, but then Bultar showed up…"

They slowed to a casual pace. "What is it?"

She pulled her datapad out of her pocket and brought up the document. "I was going through the documents on that datapad we stole from the scientist who tried to capture me."

She moved closer to him and held it up so they could both see. "And I found this list of Contingency Orders. It's one of the things all Clones have imprinted into their memory. Take a look at Order 66."

Obi-Wan took the datapad and read the order, a crease developing between his eyebrows.

"What do you think?" she prompted.

"Well, it seems strange by itself, but… look at the other orders. Order 65 is about the detention and execution of the Chancellor."

She spoke quickly as they walked. "Yes, I thought that at first, too. But if you read it closely, you'll see that 66 is quite different from the other orders. It's the only one that can be issued by the Chancellor alone, and doesn't require any kind of Senate ruling on the matter beforehand. He could just say the Jedi are acting against the interests of the Republic at any time, for any reason. And also, the clones don't have to authenticate or report the order at all. It would literally be that Palpatine calls them, tells them to go ahead with 66, and they shoot you. Not even detain you, just kill you. Now do you think it sounds suspicious?"

Obi-Wan ran a finger and thumb over his moustache. "Yes. It sounds like something slipped in so as to avoid notice."

"And all clones have this imprinted in their memories. Palpatine could destroy the entire Jedi Order any time he feels like it."

Obi-Wan passed the datapad back to her, deep in thought. "We need to do something."

"We need to find Master Yoda," Skylin grumbled, and Obi-Wan nodded.

"Yes, that too, but I think we should act on this information now. We should get to Kamino."

"You think we can do something about this order?"

"Possibly. If not, we could always just… I don't know… Stop production completely?"

Skylin looked up at him to check if he was teasing or not, but his face was serious. "I'll see what we can do. We might be able to hitch a ride off-planet, perhaps in a smuggling ship."

"And then get to Kamino?"

"Yes."

Skylin sighed. This was completely outside her area of expertise. "You make it sound so easy," she said despondently, tucking the datapad back in her pocket. She felt his finger brush her cheek and they both slowed to a stop. She looked up into his calm eyes.

"Just leave it to me," he said with a reassuring smile. "I'm actually quite good at this sort of thing."

She smiled. "I don't doubt that. You know, you were brilliant today. You saved our butts, all three of us. Well, four of us, actually."

Obi-Wan blushed, his gaze dropping to the floor for a moment. A medic turned the corner and hurried past them, and he waited until the footsteps had faded before looking up at her again.

"I came by your office a few times this week, but I must have missed you."

"Oh – sorry about that. This week has been completely crazy. They're going to have an interesting time without anyone manning the office now."

He nodded in a preoccupied sort of way. "So… You haven't changed your mind?"

Skylin frowned up at him and suddenly realised what he was talking about. She shook her head. "No. Of course not."

She didn't expect him to kiss her, and she moved backwards a few steps to the wall, hitting it awkwardly and laughing under his mouth.

He paused, drawing back a little, the corners of his eyes crinkling in an almost-smile as her hands came up to his chest. He moved his nose over her cheek, over her ear, tickling with his mustache, then kissing her neck lightly.

He lifted a hand to her hair, and she dropped her arms out of the way, running them up underneath his tabards, over his arse, and tucked her thumbs into the waistband of his pants, holding on against her weakening knees.

"I thought," he murmured between kisses, "perhaps… you had reconsidered…"

"No," she breathed, her stomach turning over as he ran his hand downwards, lingering on the small of her back. "Just busy, trying to..." he pressed his body closer to her and she lost focus for a moment. "Trying to keep some Jedi out of prison."

"Mm," he replied into her neck, sending a shiver through her. She slid her hands around to the front of his waistband, but it was done up securely, and the catch felt incomprehensible. She made a noise of frustration in her throat and he paused, turning his head to look at her with raised eyebrows.

"You're wearing far too many clothes," she explained.

"That's a problem easily remedied," he said, and he kissed her lips again, deeply, before drawing back. "But perhaps not here."

"No," she agreed, leaning against the wall a moment longer while her legs stabilised. "Brin might throw a party if she saw that."

* * *

Thanks so much to my beta, SerendipityAEY :)


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: This chapter is the reason the story has been upgraded to M ;)

* * *

"Hmm."

"What's wrong?"

"It appears that we're sharing."

Brin had organised their ticket onto a people-smuggling ship which transported passengers in small sleep pods that were shielded against Republic bioscanning technology, and now Skylin stood with Obi-Wan at the bottom of one of the tall stacks of capsules, arranged in long rows, surrounded by other people preparing for the trip. She peered into one of the ground-level capsules and made a mental note to throttle Brin next time she saw her. Each was about the size of a single bed, and just high enough to sit up in. They would fit, but it would be tight. Skylin had no doubt Brin had organised it this way for that exact reason.

She sighed. "Oh well, we need to get off-planet, no going back now. Where are we?"

Obi-Wan looked up the stack. "Top floor."

"Right."

Inexplicably, he started undoing his belt and toeing off his boots. Seeing her confused expression, he laughed.

"It's better to complete any awkward manoeuvres before you climb in. Trust me, I've tried it."

"Oh." Skylin copied him, removing her belt, boots and outer tunics, and wrapping everything up in a bundle to carry up the ladder behind him. A warning sounded over the P.A. that they had five minutes to get sealed inside their capsules.

At the top, he slid along the edge, his legs dangling over, and organised the pod efficiently before he crawled in. He stored their boots and clothes in a small locker along the back wall inside the capsule, then opened another one and pulled out one pillow and blanket, tossing them into place.

"One moment," he said, while Skylin waited on the ladder, he swung his legs around to lie half-down and undo his pants, lifting his hips to tug them off and then shove them into the locker with the other clothes. He was left in white shorts and his brown wraparound under-tunic, and he lay on his side against the back wall to make room for her. "Your turn."

Skylin climbed in, pushing down the slight nerves building in her throat at the thought of being so close to him all night. She crawled in and sat for a moment while she tugged off her second-to-final layer, leaving just a pale blue singlet over her torso, and then copied his manoeuvre to shed her pants, so that her bottom half was down to only her plain white panties.

She lay back, not quite sure whether she should be nervous about exposing so much skin. Her breath caught in her throat as he got to one elbow to lean across her, but he was only reaching to slide the screen shut. It was a dense plastic, yellowish and grimy, and he had to jerk it across, but once it slid into place all the sounds of the other passengers immediately disappeared, replaced only by their own breathing and the faint thrum of the engines, and the soft light of the small halo lamp set in the wall just over their heads.

"It will take a few days at least to reach Kamino, but this might be the last chance we get to rest," he said, stretching.

"How will we get there?"

"I'll sort something out."

A hissing snap sounded right by her head, and she jumped, and Obi-Wan put a hand on her arm.

"It's just sealing us in."

On cue, a grainy voice sounded abruptly through the speaker near their feet, "All capsules sealed, launch in five minutes."

Obi-Wan ran his hand up and down her upper arm gently, and it made her realise how tense she was. She forced herself to relax, and he smiled.

"Don't worry, it's quite safe."

She returned his smile and decided to let him keep thinking that was why she was tense.

He dropped his hand and stretched in the confined space, settling his head on the pillow and curling his arms in close to his chest in the small space between them. When he settled, the back of his left hand still rested against her upper arm. "I'm tired," he said softly.

"I thought you didn't sleep," she teased.

"I don't; I just meditate _very_ deeply." He said it with all seriousness, but she raised an eyebrow at him, and after a moment his face cracked into a reluctant grin.

Skylin laughed. "Well, do you mind if I turn the light off? Some of us happen to be standard human beings."

"I meditate better with the light off," he mumbled into the pillow. "The darkness helps me tune into the… deeper currents of the Force." His voice was already growing rough and sleepy.

Skylin reached above her head to flick the switch.

"Night, Obi-Wan," she said.

"Night," he replied, and in the darkness his voice seemed to be right next to her ear, and she shivered.

oooooooooooooooooooo

Skylin woke with the sudden alertness that comes from the feeling that something unusual had woken her. At first, she had no idea where she was, then she shifted her legs and felt Obi-Wan next to her, and she remembered. Then she realised what had woken her. Obi-Wan moved in his sleep, an irritated sort of flinch, and muttered something indecipherable. She propped herself on her elbow and rubbed her eyes in order to focus on him in the dark. He was breathing quickly, and sweat was beading on his forehead.

He shuddered and groaned again. He was having a nightmare.

"Obi-Wan. Wake up," she said. When that did nothing, she put her hand on his arm and shook him slightly. "Obi-Wan?"

Nothing. He flinched away from her touch. She moved her hand to wrap around his chest and shook him hard, and finally, with a jolt, he woke. His eyes opened wide, staring at her in confusion, his whole body tensed for a long moment. Then he blinked, exhaled, relaxed.

"You were having a nightmare," she said, her arm still around his chest. He lifted both his arms to his face and rubbed it roughly before responding in a jagged voice.

"I'm sorry I woke you."

Skylin slid her arm around him fully, moved her body closer and squeezed him tightly. She was still propped on one elbow. "Are you okay?" She looked down at him, her hair falling across her face, and he lowered his arms, sitting one around her shoulders, the other resting on the arm she'd wrapped around him.

He lifted his head and kissed her, gently, very briefly, then let it flop back onto the pillow. But he didn't reply. He just looked into her eyes, so deeply, so intensely, so miserably, and she knew the answer. So many things he tried to forget in the daytime, but impossible to escape at night. She hadn't dealt with the files of all those WFC requests for so long without knowing what the Republic's war did to its Generals.

She ran her hand tenderly over his chest, his shoulder, his bicep. "Maybe I can help you forget."

His eyes didn't move from hers even once as she lowered her head to kiss him. Their lips met as she leaned over him, her chest pressing against his. There was less fabric between them now than there had ever been. She sucked on his lower lip, and moved her left hand to run through his hair. His eyes closed, and the fingers of his right hand ran lightly over her back, tickling through the thin fabric. He reached the hem, where the singlet had ridden up slightly, and brushed along the bare skin at her lower back. It felt _nice_.

Skylin sighed and moved her hand over his chest and lower down, tugging at the tunic's tie at his waist and then sliding her hand underneath, touching his bare chest for the first time. Underneath all his layers, the acclaimed Jedi General was solid, and warm, in some places a little rough with scar tissue, but in others soft, with a dusting of hair across his pecs and leading down lower. She grazed her fingers across his abs, but he didn't react at all until she reached the softer skin just above his hip, and then he made a noise and grasped her wrist in his hand.

"That tickles," he said.

"Sorry." Skylin let her head flop back onto the pillow, and he released her wrist, and she went back to skimming over his stomach, but couldn't resist running her fingers over the ticklish part again, and he flinched and growled. He grasped her wrist again, and this time he pinned it down above her head. He rolled towards her, resting his knee between her thighs, his upper body propped on his other arm, leaning over her. His hair fell forward and brushed her nose.

"General Kenobi," she chided. "It looks like I've discovered your weakness. I'm sure your enemies would be very interested in the information I've just obtained."

He leaned forward and kissed her, barely, just the lightest of brushes. "Perhaps," he murmured, kissing her again on her jawline, and moving lower. "But don't forget, darling," he found a spot on her collarbone that made her squirm slightly under him, "you have weaknesses too."

"Mm," she replied as he moved his head lower, leaving her arm above her head and running the hand that had been pinning it down along the inside of her arm, over the sensitive areas inside her elbow and just beside her underarm. "But they wouldn't have any effect if they were…" she breathed in as he ran his fingers lower, over the edge of her breast, and down her side. "If they were performed by anyone else."

He reached the hem of her shirt again, over her stomach, and slid his hand cautiously underneath. He kissed her lips again, more deeply. "You've tried, have you?" he asked before moving towards her jaw and ear on the other side.

"In the past, yes," she replied wryly. "But to be honest, I've never been with anyone who's had this kind of effect on me." Her stomach wrung itself out as his fingers ventured higher, brushing very tentatively against the underside of her breasts. He paused there.

"What effect is that?" he asked softly, raising one eyebrow playfully.

"I don't know," she breathed in reply, feeling his fingers move against her each time she inhaled. "But it feels good, whatever it is."

His eyes crinkled in a soft smile, but he still didn't move his hand. "And this?" he asked, indicating the hand with a nod of his head. "Does this feel good?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Yes, but it would feel better if you would just-" She cut off as he finally moved his hands over her breasts, his fingers teasing in circles around one nipple at length before touching the peak gently. He watched her face for her reactions intently, as he grazed his thumb across it, squeezed, and rolled it between his finger and thumb. Skylin felt like she was floating away on the warm buzz of arousal in her stomach. If he was this good at foreplay, what was he going to be like later? She couldn't imagine. And all without any practice… Her eyes opened as that thought entered her head, and she frowned. He slid his hand away to rest on her stomach again, uncertain.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No – no. I was just wondering how you're so good at this. I thought you'd never been with anyone else?"

"I haven't."

"I wouldn't be offended if you had," she said cautiously, wondering for a moment if he was just trying to be tactful.

He smiled. "Skylin, I haven't."

"Then how do you know how to…" she waved her hand. "Do _that_?"

He rolled onto his back, and she was surprised to notice that his cheeks had darkened, noticeable even in the darkness.

"One… picks things up, here and there."

"Where?"

"Well, from observing other people…"

She frowned. "Not doing that."

"Well… not in person, obviously."

Her eyes widened as she finally realised what he was talking about. "Obi-Wan!" She laughed. "I'm shocked. To think, we've been going along all this time with me thinking you were an innocent."

"Not _all_ this time," he mumbled. "Just the last few days."

Skylin blinked. Only since he met her. He'd been… researching? "For me?"

He looked at her finally, with a slightly embarrassed grin. "Of course."

She didn't really know what to say to that. She kissed him again briefly. "Well," she said, matter-of-factly. "If you've already been briefed in the matter, it won't be a big shock to you if I do this." She put her hand straight to his groin and grasped him, firm, through his shorts. Remarkably controlled, he only flinched slightly.

"N-no," he said, steadying his voice. "Just a little shock."

Skylin chuckled, and lifted his waistband up and over, pushing it part way down his thighs, then took him in hand, skin to skin. She kissed his lips, and he responded distractedly as she pumped him slowly but firmly up and down. Her hand just fit around him, and looking down at him she was very curious to know what he would taste like, but the space in here was too limited for that. She kept her movements steady, and kissed him softly, then started speeding up and gripping harder when she sensed his body tensing. His breathing grew slightly ragged, and then with a restrained grunt he came, his eyes squeezed shut. Skylin scrambled to catch the white fluid in her spare hand – they still had to sleep in this bed – and then grabbed some tissue from the dispenser on the wall.

Finally, she lay back down next to him, and he rolled on his side again to hold her, burying his face in her shoulder. She could feel him shaking very slightly, and hugged him tightly, smiling into his hair.

"It's never felt like that before," he said, his voice muffled in her neck.

"That's because I'm amazing," Skylin replied seriously. He smiled and rolled over onto his back, relaxed and content. "Do you think you might be able to sleep now?" she asked.

He nodded, but wrapped his arm around her and pulled her to his chest. She fit against his side neatly, her arm over his ribs, her right leg curving over his thigh. Her head fit comfortably against his shoulder, and he kissed her hair. "Yes."


End file.
